MANILA, Philippines—Three major green groups have taken exception to a list of companies recognized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for their earth-friendly practices in 2012, citing the “dirty and destructive nature” of some of the companies.

Greenpeace, EcoWaste Coalition and Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (Gaia) on Saturday expressed their disappointment over the “Official Seal of Approval” awarded by the DENR to 18 plants and facilities of at least 10 companies, including multinationals.

The DENR’s stamp of approval for most environmentally responsible corporations is valid for one year.

“Some of these companies have been hounded in the past by communities and civil society organizations for the dirty and destructive nature of their core businesses,” the groups said, but refrained from naming the firms.

“It seems black is the new green if we are to believe this green-washing attempt by the DENR,” said Von Hernandez, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

“Giving the green tag to oil companies, coal power plants, incinerators and smelting plants, especially in this era of climate change, is simply outrageous and shows how this agency has lost sight of its mandate to advance the protection of the environment,” Hernandez said.

All the winners have not faced a single complaint before the DENR’s Pollution Adjudication Board in the past three years, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said.

As a reward, the DENR will relax its rules on the submission requirements for reports, automatically extend the validity of permits, and ease procedures in securing environmental compliance certificates for the expansion of the projects, he said.

But Hernandez said the lack of verifiable complaints from the public “does not mean that some of these enterprises are green.”

Edwin Alejo, national coordinator of EcoWaste, said the companies cited by the DENR should release their emissions data in line with the public’s right to know.

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Wadav

Emission data of these so called green companies MUST be readily available to the public! Kung walang maipublish ang DENR, pa labas Na naman ang mangyari nito! In the US alone, they are planning to demobilize 59 GW of coal power stations due to health & environmental issues, tapos DENR will certify these coal power stations as GREEN? Naku naman mga SIR, nanghihihingi ba kayo ng pamasko sa kanila?

iping2sison

Real-estate companies are the worst polluters. There are no water treatments facilities for all their housing projects. Once pristine streams and rivers teeming with various species of fish in Cavite, Laguna and Rizal are now polluted. The developers should be fined.

speedstream2

You hit it right on the head. It begs the question: why do concerned government agencies look the other way when they’re up against big, well-connected firms?

DestronLeader

A couple of years ago, DENR personnel went around the city to get info from small businesses about a lot of information we don’t know the answer to. The questionnaires ask about the amount of wastes we generate and whether we are complying, etc. Giving statistical info is not something SMBs can do or are equipped to. What I told the DENR employee is that we are willing to properly dispose of anything that can be construed as hazardous wastes but they have to help us find authorized or accredited disposal locations/shops. Something DENR can’t even give me the answer to.

speedstream2

“As a reward, the DENR will relax its rules on the submission requirements for reports, automatically extend the validity of permits, and ease procedures in securing environmental compliance certificates for the expansion of the projects, he said.”

This is why our problems keep coming back: our tendency to ease up on things that need to be done just because we’ve made some inroads. Consistent compliance with requirements under a system in place is exactly what makes the system succeed. Thus, compliance is a good habit to be developed and encouraged. Real progress is achieved by being harder on ourselves, not easing up.

http://www.facebook.com/alexander.aamproz Alexander Aamproz

It remember me Pablo Garcia enjoying and joking about sharks
vanishing to extinction in a Cebu green seminar.

Outside corruption and selfishness, nothing has to be expected from the “System”